“There is a tradition of auctioning original works of art donated by artists to raise money for charitable causes. There are many good causes that hold such events. No matter how good the causes, though, I have come to the conclusion that artists must stop donating to every single one of them.” So says, art critic Mat Gleason in his article The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Art Auctions found in a recent post on HuffPost Art & Culture.
Tell you the truth, I’ve done my fair share of donating my art to what I consider worthy causes and sheepishly will admit the to being human and swayed by the compliment of being asked. But the argument Mat makes to stop this devaluation of ones work is compelling. “Half a century of charity art auctions have changed the way collectors buy art. These fundraisers have depressed prices of art across the board and kept artists in a subordinate position that has no career upside or benefits.”
Looking at the arguments on both sides Mat comments…
“The argument against me is simple: Donations of art to charity auctions raise money for good causes and raise the profile of artists who put their art in the public eye. It is a good argument. It has worked well. This seductive sales pitch has pulled in countless millions of dollars over the past few decades.”
“Problem is, this argument has not lived up to its bargain. Sad news: Your profile got humiliated because the collector got such a bargain on your art. If your art was one of dozens of trinkets on a wall with a hundred other artists, your profile actually disappeared there in the crowd anyway.”
The legend of screen star Lana Turner being discovered in a Hollywood drugstore is a great one to be sure. And even though the legend of some artists donation to a charity auction, making way for an “avalanche of success” has yet to be documented, the chances of this promise coming true seem slim.
So respect your art by thanking the requestor for an art donation very much for the compliment, but consider a monetary donation instead. Besides, unlike your art donation, a cash donations is fully tax deductible!
Yes! So with you on this. I give in other ways… Great post!
Thanks Shannon…
Great point! After falling for this ploy a couple of times, it became clear I could just as well donate trinkets or a cheap wine. The one time this did have some value was when I dontated the commission of a small pet portrait to a Humaine organization. The resulting cat portrait led to some other commissions…
A good option Nicole… At least you were able to meet with a patron/customer and talk further with them about further commissions… Well done you!
Artist & Massage Therapists have been pegged over the years as a adaptable and caring bunch of generous and ‘eager-to-work’ people who can be taken advantage of, due to their willingness to be peaceful and not make a fuss. They are willing to donate to a good cause – in hopes of getting publicity that might lead to paid work. (It rarely ever does – but keep dreaming!)
Imagine a lawyer, a doctor, or a business man donating his time, energy or end result of 20-50 hours of work time as an uncompensated Donation.
Artists and performers, musicians, and dancers are themselves the only ones who can take a stand and stop going along with being taken advantage of; Artists must be the ones to put their foot down and take a stand to get paid for their time, energy, and talents. We must all do this to make an impact and command more respect and appropriate compensation for our time and services.
No lawyer in their right mind would spend two long days in the hot sun drafting documents for others for free!At some point the tables need to flip, I hope it is in my life time!
Well said Erin!